Badminton England are among 20 governing bodies set to benefit from a Sport England funding boost for Commonwealth sports.
The upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will be among the highlights of a packed sporting summer and sports bodies who want to use innovative, non-traditional or digital ideas to improve participation rates in areas of England where activity levels are the lowest will share a new £6.5m cash injection.
Badminton England are due to receive £299,850 through the initiative and plan to build a legacy project which will tackle inequalities and inspire new audiences to play badminton.
This will be done by testing and adopting innovative community led and digital approaches to reaching and engaging communities, diversifying our workforce and opening up a wide range of locally accessible environments for activity.
Support will be directed to underrepresented groups and areas of the country most in need of funding, with this cash boost part of a suite of investment programmes to ensure the impact of Commonwealth Games reaches the communities in greatest need.
All funding recipients are required to participate in an Innovation & Digital Accelerator to access expert innovation and digital support in order to maximise the impact of their plans.
Badminton England Chief Executive, Sue Storey, said: “I am thrilled that Badminton England will benefit from this Sport England initiative, which will enable us to inspire new audiences to play badminton.
“Our legacy project will not only allow us to get more people on court, but it will also provide opportunities to diversify our workforce – leading to a positive lasting impact from the 2022 Commonwealth Games.”
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, added: “One mission for the Commonwealth Games is creating new ways to include those who face the most barriers to playing sport and getting active.
“To deliver long-term community impact, we have to listen to what people need, try out new and different ideas, and support partners who know what works at a grassroots level for their community.
“Lasting impact from the Games will depend on the creation of long-term, inclusive and local opportunities for people to get active, and tackling the inequalities that make it harder for some groups now.
“Today’s funding is an opportunity for us to work innovatively with sports to target the people and areas who need support the most.”